


Messenger of the Guardians

by DreamerAwaken, SparkSparta



Series: MoTG AU [2]
Category: Klaus (2019), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: I came with this AU over Tumblr and I promised I would write a story about it so here we are!, In which Jesper comes back and Klaus is North, Messenger of the Guardians AU, More characters might be included as well later!, MotG AU, Shipping may be included later into the story but as for now there's none!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-19
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22313188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamerAwaken/pseuds/DreamerAwaken, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkSparta/pseuds/SparkSparta
Summary: He didn't know much, but for now, it would be enough.His name was Jesfred Duevit and he was the new way of communication between the powerful beings that protected the children of Earth, the Guardians.And yet, despite being new at this, he couldn't help but think how familiar this felt... but why?
Series: MoTG AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074587
Comments: 71
Kudos: 260





	1. It Begins with a Blank Page

It was cold when he slowly came to.

He didn’t remember much…or anything, at all. Seeing nothing but darkness, he felt numb as he felt himself being lifted from the ground, hearing the snow and dirt crunching under his feet as he moved through it.

_Who was he…? Why did he feel cold...? Who was picking him up?_

He felt the dirt covering his body instantly falling off of him the moment he was released from the mysterious grip. An odd need came to him before he felt the air passing through his lungs as he took a deep breath; how long has it been since he did something like that? 

**_‘Too long,’_** A sudden voice said, making him open his eyes, at last, only to be met by the sight of the full moon, bright and majestic at the peak of the dark sky. Was it the one who just spoke to him?

Again, it spoke: **_‘How do you feel?’_**

How did he...feel? He started to slowly move his fingers. Pins and needles were making their way from his hands and towards his arms, chasing away the numbness that was surrounding him like a heavy blanket. It kept going up to his shoulders, then his chest. His legs started to feel them too, and slowly, he felt the numbness leaving his body. Soon, cold was being replaced by a slight warmth that fought back against the frigid air surrounding him.

“I don’t…know…” He hesitantly answered after a while, the blurriness in his eyes slowly becoming sharper. “What happened?” 

The voice reached him again, soft, caring, a bit amused. **_‘It is normal… you have been asleep for a long time, Jesfred Duevit.’_**

 _Jesfred... Duevit?_ What is a Jesfred Duevit?

The voice chuckled, apparently able to hear his thoughts. **_‘That is your name, my boy. Do you not like it?’_**

“...My name?” ‘Jesfred’ whispered, finding something that felt…fitting, about that name. “Jesfred… Jesfred Duevit…”

...Yeah, it had a nice ring to it. 

**_‘Glad to know you are alright with it, Jesfred.‘_** The voice replied; it sounded like he was smiling. Was that even possible? **_‘Ah, so rude of me. Here I am telling you who you are, without even introducing myself! You may call me Man in the Moon, or Manny if you prefer.’_**

Man in the Moon? Was there really someone in the Moon, trying to talk to him from so far away? This thought caused ‘Manny’ to chuckle softly.

Jesfred took in a breath; the sensation of cool air filling his lungs causing him to recoil slightly. It was such an odd sensation. He flexed his hands. He rolled his shoulders. He stretched his arms. The pins and needles were fading. He was regaining his senses. 

**_‘It may take you a little time to get used to…well, yourself.’_** Manny said. **_‘It’s been approximately two-hundred years since you’ve fallen asleep, after all. That is quite a lot of time.’_**

Jesfred tilted his head at the announcement. _CRICK, CRACK._ Some neck joints popped. Ow. Was his neck even supposed to do that?  
  
“I slept...for two hundred years? Why did I sleep so long?” Jesfred rubbed his eyes, finally getting a sense of non-blurry vision. At least he didn’t feel tired, that would be something considering how long he’s been out of it. 

**_‘We need you, Jesfred. More than ever.’_ **Man in the Moon said, sounding serene. **_‘My Guardians, and most of all, the children we protect, need you.’_**

Guardians? Children? _...Guardians?_

**_‘All in due time, there’s so much to explain but very little time, I’m afraid.’_** He said. **_‘For now… how about I explain to you why I brought you here, Jesfred?’_**

“That…would be fantastic, sir.” If he couldn’t be told everything, he at least wanted to know why he was here in the first place. 

Manny hummed, then started: **_‘Last year, we faced a great danger that almost destroyed the faith in the children, the very faith that keeps the Guardians strong to protect the youth. Instead, their faith was replaced with fear and nightmares, threatening to end every joyful emotion on Earth. At the very last minute, however, the Guardians were given a small chance and were victorious in restoring the world’s balance, but I cannot guarantee this peace will remain untouched for long...’_**

Jesfred listened intently, feeling the last of the pins and needles finally fade away. This only happened last year? If so much had happened in such little time…then, what had happened before it? How much had he missed out? 

“This danger… If it’s that powerful, then… What am I supposed to do?” He finally asked.

 ** _‘This happened, partly, from the lack of communication between the Guardians; with each one of them being so busy making the children have faith in them, the Guardians began to drift apart.’_** Manny explained. **_‘By losing touch with each other, things became strained and tense between them all, and that alone would have ended everything.’_**

“Communication…” Why did that word strike a chord within him? “That’s…”

 ** _‘Jesfred, my boy.’_** He continued. **_‘That, is the reason you are here. From now on, you will be the Messenger of the Guardians: the one responsible for making sure their bonds do not strain, for the well-being of everyone on Earth, including themselves.’_**

 _Messenger._ Another chord struck within him. Jesfred looked down, though there wasn’t much to look at other than the hole he supposed he came out from. 

Manny hummed again. **_‘And I choose you because there is no one better fit for such responsibility… You may not recall now, but you did amazing things in the past, Jesfred. Your actions are the reason you are before me at this moment.’_**

He looked up. All he saw was the full moon. “What did I do? To be before you right now?”

 ** _‘I am not the right Guardian to answer that question, but I can assure you, you’ll know it when you meet them.’_** Manny answered. **_‘And I think the best way to do so, it’s this.’_**

Five stars, that were not there before, suddenly blinked into existence around the Moon. The glow got stronger as they grew in size; they seemed white at first, but they have turned into different colors as they kept creeping…closer?

...They weren’t **growing**! They were **coming** his way!

With a startled yelp, he shielded his eyes and covered himself with his arms, fearing the light because of the intense brightness. However, nothing hit him, and the glow stopped being so blinding after a short moment.

Jesfred nervously opened his eyes before feeling calm enough to drop his arms. Slowly. And then, he saw what was before him.

Five letters floated in front of him. Each glowing a distinctive color: red, green, pink, yellow, and blue. 

Jesfred reached towards the letters and, very slowly and carefully, held them in his hands. The texture of the envelopes felt...oddly familiar, for some strange reason. And comforting, too.

 ** _‘Apologies for startling you, my boy.’_** Manny said, however, it was clear he sounded rather amused. **_‘I shall warn you next time.’_**

Jesfred looked up at the Moon again with an unamused look. He ran his thumb over the letters, and felt a change in texture. Curious, he looked back down and saw the names written on the front of each one.

_Nicholas St. North, Toothiana, E. Aster Bunnymund, Sanderson Mansnoozie, and Jack Frost._

**_‘They are the Guardians. Your first mission will be to deliver each one of them their respective letter.’_** Man in the Moon explained. **_‘It is a great opportunity for you to meet them, also to test your new abilities.’_**

Jesfred nodded, but couldn’t help but feel just a little disappointed. He wanted to know who he was and what he did right here and now. But, repeating questions that couldn’t be answered didn’t help anybody. And certainly not him. He would just have to wait to find out those answers. And if the Guardians held them-

...Hang on a minute, _abilities?_

“What abilities?” He asked, blinking up at the Moon.

 ** _‘You thought I would just let you wander throughout the world, on your own, without the proper equipment?’_ **Manny asked with a playful huff. **_‘Perhaps you have not taken a good look at yourself, my boy.’_**

“What?”

The Moon’s glow began to become bright, illuminating a lake that was pretty close from where Jesfred stood. He walked to the edge and crouched down, and for the first time, Jesfred could finally see himself. 

Covered in white robes, more specifically, a white postman’s outfit. Jesfred was the image of a messenger in the flesh. He wore a huge hat adorned with a pair of small white wings on each side of it, a brown messenger’s bag slung over his right shoulder, a long white, feathered cape that reached his knees with yellow button accents at the tips of the ‘feathers’, long black boots that went just past his knees…and there was a paper wrapped around his right leg, tied with a red thread.

That…was an odd touch, if he was honest, but nothing he cared about at the moment. 

He continued to look into his reflection with a smile, looking at the small details of his uniform, before focusing on his face.

...He couldn’t remember to have ever looked like this. To Jesfred, this was the first time he had actually seen himself. The first thing he noticed was that he was pretty skinny, and the second thing was his nose- has it always been that big? 

Jesfred studied himself; his eyes were a soft, grayish pink color, and his hair was almost pure white, but it became a lighter blonde past his ears, which were also big.

...Maybe he should stop looking if he was going to keep judging his looks.

 ** _‘What do you think?’_** Man in the Moon asked, sounding just a tad pleased with himself. **_‘By the way you keep looking at your reflection, I believe you seem to like it.’_**

“...If this is how I used to look like before now, I guess I’ll learn to like it, right?”

Manny chuckled. **_‘Trust me, my boy, I did not change any major features from how you looked like before… hair and eyes, in your case. Using my powers to awaken others have a tendency to make changes to their appearance.’_**

Odd as it sounded, it seemed to make sense. Jesfred continued to look at his reflection, taking in all the little details a bit more. He felt oddly comforted in this outfit. And holding the letters like this in his hand… 

**_‘Jesfred.’_ **

He turned to look up at the moon again.

 ** _‘The Guardians are awaiting their messages. You will need to make haste. Meet them. Make sure to tell them to keep in touch with each other.’_** His tone of voice was deadly serious now. **_‘Prevent the mistakes made last year from ever happening again.’_**

Right, the letters.

With a decisive nod, Jesfred stored the letters into his bag and readied himself. Find the Guardians, deliver the letters, give them the ultimatum Man in the Moon made…all easy stuff.

_...How did he find the Guardians again?_

“I guess I will be…off?” He mumbled, awkwardly pointing in a random direction in the midst of his confusion. 

A beat. Then soft laughter.

 ** _‘Of course, you cannot do it; not without a friend to guide you in your quest.’_** The Moon said, before emitting another soft glow, and grew silent.

The wind suddenly picked up and surrounded Jesfred, who watched it intently as he held his hat so it wouldn’t fly off. Was the wind supposed to behave like this? All around him, he saw how the chilled breeze lifted the snow from the ground and made the floating snowflakes sparkle under the moonlight before it all moved right in front of him to take an entirely different shape.

A silhouette was now standing before him…one of a lady. Her features were not clear, such as her face and appearance, but something about the way her wind currents made the snow dance playfully at her feet gave him a friendly impression. Enough for him to not feel alarmed.

 ** _‘Jesfred, I want you to meet Lady Wind, one of the wind Spirits that serve Mother Nature.’_** Manny said.

Lady Wind twirled as she was introduced, the movement making her look like if she was wearing a dress. She created small wind currents that blew past Jesfred’s ears, who could hear the quiet whispers they carried. _‘I am so happy to meet you, Jesfred…!'_

Jesfred almost felt like he had to strain his ears to hear her. But at the same time, he didn’t. It was…a strange sensation that he couldn’t name at the moment, but he didn’t want to appear rude.

“L…likewise, Lady Wind.” He greeted her back, lightly tipping his hat at her. That single motion felt quite natural to him, at least.

 ** _‘You can trust her, Lady Wind is among the kindest Spirits to exist on Earth.’_** Manny said, reassuringly. **_‘She will keep you company as you learn how to control your abilities during your travels.’_**

Jesfred nodded as Lady Wind bowed in a graceful curtesy, the little snowflakes circling around her as she did so. He didn’t have any reason to doubt what the Man in the Moon said thus far. 

**_‘Time to take off, my boy. You mustn’t keep them waiting for their letters.’_** The Moon said.

“Yes, of course! I-...” He paused, blinked a few times, and raised a finger in his confusion. “...Take off?”

He heard an amused chuckle.

 _ **‘Oh, I think I’ll let Lady Wind show you what I mean.’**_ Manny said. _**‘She certainly knows a way to make others “feel weightless”!’**_

Jesfred was at loss, but Lady Wind must’ve caught Manny’s drift because, in an instant, her silhouette faded into thin air. It rapidly swirled at Jesfred’s feet, lifting more snow from the ground as she created a small twister!

The Messenger's eyes widened as he felt himself being taken by the winds. He clutched his hat tightly as he felt his feet lift off the ground. He let out a shout of surprise as Lady Wind’s twister rocketed him far into the night sky; far past the clouds, and even further away from the ground! 

Despite his growing panic at being so high up, Jesfred caught glimpse of the golden buttons of his cape shining under the moonlight, and when Lady Wind’s cold air blew right against his cape, extending both ends wide open, he noticed something.

His cape… He couldn’t help but think it looked like wings.

And suddenly, as soon as he had that thought, the cloth was engulfed by soft a white glow and began to take another shape. His eyes widened when the light faded and saw that his cape had been replaced by...a pair of huge, white dove wings. 

They were a pristine white, so pure that the feathers sparkled like freshly fallen snow when the moonlight shone down on them, and he found himself mesmerized by the sight of them.

He could…he could **fly** …!

Lady Wind’s currents caught under his feathers, and Jesfred felt himself float along. After a few seconds of just idle flapping to figure out how to move, the rush of adrenaline started to wear off. Jesfred let out a huge sigh of relief, trying to focus on the sensation of flapping his wings and finding it…way more natural than anything he had experienced so far. As if he was always meant to fly.

“Hey, uh… Give me a little warning next time, please?” He asked while looking around in all directions, not sure where Lady Wind was. 

Her whispers came soon, despite not being visible to him at the moment. **_‘_** _Sorry, dearie... But we believed it was better for_ _you to figure it out on your own~.'_

_Of course it was._

Jesfred let out another soft sigh but smiled nonetheless. Their intentions were good, that was all that really mattered. 

Manny’s voice soon came as well. **_‘Very well done, Jesfred. This is where your quest truly begins, and be aware: there is a lot for you to discover yet…’_** His voice grew softer as he continued: _**‘I am afraid I have to go for now, but I will put my trust and faith in you. And you too, Lady Wind.'**_

Jesper nodded, understanding. He felt a gentle rush of wind stabilizing him in mid-air. 

_‘I’ll do my best, Jesfred.’_ Lady Wind’s whispery voice told him. _‘My winds will aid your flight, but you must be the one to tell me where to go.’_

And there was only one way he wanted to go from here.

“Forward.”

* * *

Thank you for reading! This work was made in collaboration with my best friend SparkSparta, and there's more to come! Which Guardian will receiver their letter first?

You'll find out in the next chapter!

Don't forget to leave a comment and drop your Kudos~!

And finally, here you have Jesfred's design! Some of you might have seen it over my Tumblr, but others probably haven't, so here you go!

If you wish to see more art of this AU, follow me on Tumblr at DreamerAwaken!

Until next time~!


	2. Chilly Wind Currents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesfred is still getting the hang on flying when a sudden cold breeze reaches him...

So, there was a funny thing about this whole ‘confidence’ deal.

When it all starts, fresh and brand new for someone to see and experience for the first time, there’s an excitement, a wonder for what’s about to come.

And when someone tells you that you’re the one to set an example that no one’s done before, that becomes determination to do a job well done. Not to mention, extremely stressful and full of pressure.

How you’ll do it? You don’t even know. But once you start, you know that you already took a leap too big to back out.

And then, if you stay focused, you’ll power your way through everything and success in the end!

_Supposedly._

...This was not one of those times. Not by a longshot.

Or, rather, Jesfred was _trying_ to have it be one of those positive examples. With Lady Wind giving him helpful gusts here or there, he didn’t seem to have to worry about not staying airborne, but every time he thought he could steady himself and get the hang of it, he lost his balance all over again.

It was oddly akin to walking on a tightrope. One little misstep could bring misfortune and even a few injuries. Fear was to gradually lessen as time went on and as long as you keep practicing. However, Jesfred’s wings seemed to have a mind of their own; constantly bending and shifting with the wind to keep it beneath their feathers. And with each twist, turn, drop, and ascension, Jesfred’s insides were in near utter turmoil. 

It seemed so mind-boggling simple to fly, and yet, here he was: dropping and soaring… somewhat, with each little shift with the wind. 

_‘Don’t bend your wings so much…’_ She gently reminded him for the… he couldn’t even remember the number of times. At this point, neither did she. _‘You keep trying to shield yourself, dear…’_

“I-it’s much easier said than done!” Jesfred’s voice was quivering a bit as he struggled to steady himself yet again.

The wind under his wings slowed their pace slightly, and he managed to ease himself into a steady flying position. Jesfred signed silently in relief, slowly feeling his insides calm down and the cool air hitting his sweaty forehead. They hadn’t even been flying for very long, he was just that nervous.

Jesfred stared at the world below them. With how far up they were, it was if they were in some kind of new realm made entirely of clouds. They were so deceptively solid; and each time Jesfred had managed to fly close enough, he felt compelled to reach out and touch one. He was ashamed to admit he hadn’t known they weren’t as puffy and solid as they looked; Jesfred had thought they would’ve made such a nice rest stop for him.

He found that wasn’t a possibility the hard way.

He had also lost count of how many times Lady Wind had caught him when he got lost inside a cloud as well. Jesfred made a mental note to thank her profusely for that later.

Lady Wind blew a gentle breeze against his face to bring him back to reality. _‘Stop looking down...look ahead, instead.’_

Jesfred looked ahead as she told him to. There didn’t seem to be anything but clouds for miles. The moonlight was being blocked by them, casting everything in deep blue darkness with just the slightest accents of silver around them. It was an oddly calming sight...

“Lady Wind?” He glanced around as a gust blew under his wings to lift him up again. Augh, apparently he had been descending without realizing. “Who exactly are we going to see?”

 _‘Oh, I’m not sure.’_ She said, sounding a bit surprised. _'I thought you’d know, dear!'_

Jesfred shook his head, even though he wasn’t sure if she could see it or not. He still had to learn about wind spirits, as well as everything else thrown at him. “No… I don’t know. I didn’t even know my purpose until just…however many minutes ago.” 

He blinked in surprise after a second, and immediately panicked, “Wait, so you don’t know where we are going!?”

 _‘Of course I do, silly. I know where all the Guardians live.’_ She chuckled, calming him down just as quickly, _‘But I cannot take us anywhere if you don’t tell me who we are seeing first….’_

After a short moment of silence, she hummed in thought. _‘Now that you’ve brought it up… I have the feeling there are things you don’t know. You have just been reborn, after all, is that right?’_

“Considering I’m still struggling to fly, I could use a bit of an exposition,” Jesfred admitted a little shyly, still struggling to get the control over his wings just right. “And not just about flying!”

 _‘Flying is like riding a bicycle, from what I’ve learned. It’s hard at first, but once you get the hang of it, you never forget how-’_ Lady Wind stopped when she noticed the blank face on Jesfred’s face. _‘...Ah, you don’t know what that is?’_

“I’m afraid not. Is that some kind of wind current you make...?”

His response was Lady Wind’s bubbly laughter, tickling the sides of his face. He blinked in enough amazement, he didn’t feel any embarrassment. “I suppose that’s a ‘no’?” 

_‘No, dearie~,’_ She said, calming down a bit, but still snickering softly. _‘A bicycle is a human invention, used for moving on roads and streets with ease.’_ After a moment, she dared to ask. _‘...Do you know what a street is?’_

“It’s something to move on...” Jesper tapped his chin in curious wonder. “Is it like a piece of clothing? That you put on? Like my boots?”

More laughter.

Jesfred figured that was a ‘no’ too. 

He chuckled softly to himself, unable to not find his naivety a little amusing too. He had a feeling that this would quickly become either a trend or an inside joke, between the two of them. “I guess I need more than a little exposition, huh?” 

_‘Oh, worry not…you have a lot of time to catch up.’_ She said, sounding content. _‘You can learn what humans have crafted over the centuries… They are very intelligent and have made everything for anything you can imagine.’_

“Like an invention to help me fly a bit better?” He stretched his wings out slightly to avoid getting a cramp.

Lady Wind chuckled, _‘Sorry, hun, they don’t do things for us Guardians. You’ll have to do with what you have.’_

He looked down below them. Nothing but ocean. Had he just realized he descended again? 

His eyes widened a little, the water looked so different compared to the clouds. He could see the currents and breaks between small and large portions on the surface. The way the water’s waves shimmered under the soft moonlight was almost hypnotizing and he felt a sense of contentment. 

“...I suppose so. At least I have your help, or else I’d have to be reborn a second time.” 

She gently blew a warm breeze around his frame, it felt…like a comforting hug.

 _‘Man in the Moon made us all for a purpose, and he’s never been wrong in any of his decisions,’_ She told him. _‘It’s all-new for you, so it’s going to be harder. But you’ll get to fit into your role with time, as we did.’_

Jesfred smiled softly at the comforting words and warm breeze. He couldn’t help but feel a bit more confident, even if he was still struggling to fly. “How long did it take for you to settle into your role?” He dared to ask.

She seemed to think about her answer as she slowly removed the warm breeze from around Jesfred. 

_‘Ah, …it was quite long ago, before most of the Guardians were reborn.’_ She started, _‘Mother Nature needed trustworthy allies to help her take care of the world, and many of us spirits, who loved her creations in our past lives, were reborn into who we are now.’_

Lady Wind caused a strong gust to split a cloud apart for them to fly through. _‘I am one of many wind spirits, my dear, so I had several examples to follow and learn.’_

“There’s more than one wind spirit?” He sounded a little surprised. But the longer they traveled and the more he saw of the world, the more it seemed to make sense that she wouldn’t be the only kind of wind spirit. “If that’s the case, then it’s safe to assume that there’s more for the other elements as well? Like multiple water spirits?” 

_‘We are many and we all have roles. I am responsible for guiding birds when it’s their time to migrate to warmer areas, while another of my siblings helps carry the storm clouds to different parts of the world,’_ She explained, giving him more air to steady himself as they continued on their journey. _‘Each do their own thing.’_

Jesfred nodded, it made sense. However… a thought processed in his head. He remained silent, though. He needed to choose these next few words carefully.

 _‘And the water spirits are no different,’_ She continued, not noticing his thoughtful expression. _‘Some control the waves of the ocean, others help the rivers flow…everything a human may perceive is done by one of us, thanks to Mother Nature’s grace.’_

He nodded again, just so she wouldn’t suspect anything negative from his silence. His features hardened a little as he found the correct way to express his thought, “...Have humans ever...hindered your roles? In any way? Are they...careless towards Mother Nature, and you all?” He dared to ask. “I mean, you told me they invented many things...”

Lady Wind remained silent for a moment. 

Then, she released a soft sigh.

 _‘They… don’t know the consequences of their actions. Most of them.’_ She admitted, quietly. Jesfred really thought he’d have to strain his ears to hear her. _‘Despite the world being so big, humans are very large in numbers… no matter where they set foot, it’s bound to become polluted. But we do our best…’_

The wind spirit sighed again, _‘However… Mother Nature may unleash her rage at times. She may create hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis… and those are her warnings.’_ Jesfred’s features softened with sadness. _‘Humanity doesn’t seem to understand them, sadly.’_

“Maybe…” He started to smile softly. “Maybe one day they will understand. And, maybe, whoever I’m delivering to first, can enlighten me on how I can help send Mother Nature’s messages to be clearer. So they can preserve the beauty you, and the other spirits, are trying to keep for them.”

 _‘Oh, Jesfred…’_ She started, words laced with warmth. _‘May Man in the Moon hear you.’_

“I may not know much about my role just yet, but what I do know is that I am a messenger.”

Jesfred smiled a bit wider as he felt the wind aid under his wings. He seemed to have more control over them now. “My job, as far as I know, is to deliver. Whether that’s to Guardians or humans, it doesn’t matter. You and Man in the Moon are the only beings I know right now, and… I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you or him.”

He stared ahead, feeling true confidence surging through him now. He flapped his wings, gaining a burst of speed. “To not be there for you, when you have already done so much for me, just feels plain wrong. We’re Guardians for humans, but we’re also Guardians to each other as well, right?”

 _‘Right!’_ Lady Wind agreed, mirroring his confidence. _‘That is what we are here for, to help everyone, may it be the children of Earth or ourselves…but it seems that we will be counting on you, for the last thing.’_

Another breeze lifted Jesfred above the clouds, showing him what was above him the entire time through the ceiling of clouds- a beautiful night sky, which was peppered with several stars and in the distance, the moon could be seen, bathing the clouds with its soft glow, chasing away the darkness.

The shades of white, purple, and dark blue of the Milky Way galaxy had blended together perfectly to create a marvelous sight alone, and yet the stars seemed to shine in their own magnificent clusters and stand out on their own. There was a strip of the galaxy stretching beyond both sides of the sky, going far past the distance that any piece of land or any length of the ocean could ever become.

Jesfred stared up in awe. It was breathtaking, and even if there were words to say, he didn’t want to open his mouth in fear of ruining what laid before his eyes. He couldn’t even register that he was floating without the wind beneath him for a moment. Or, that he was flapping his wings in perfect timing.

To think that this was one of the many things that were made by the spirits… and he was sure he was looking at one of their finest creations. This sight alone.

 _‘Imagine all those little dots in the sky are us, Jesfred.’_ Lady Wind spoke gently after letting him admire the sight. _‘We’re so small, Guardians and spirits alike. But when we’re together, connected, we can be so much more than a single star in the sky. We can form the sky ourselves. And you are part of it as well.’_

Jesfred slowly started to smile again, unable to take his gaze away from it all. He felt so big and so small at the same time. His chest started to grow warm all over again; is this what it felt to be speechless? Was he feeling breathlessness?

Is this what it felt to be alive?

“What a privilege…” He muttered finally. “To be here and to be a part of something so...important, so stressful, and so rewarding.” 

_‘It’s more rewarding, knowing that your part, small as it may be, caused a good change in someone’s existence…’_ He could feel her smile as she said those words. _‘Humans live very short lives, so every effort we make is to make them live to the fullest, even if they never notice.’_

She surrounded him again in a warm embrace, this time becoming more visible to Jesfred as they floated there, admiring the sky in content silence.

Jesfred wondered if he would be able to see this sight no matter where he flew in the world. He felt his heart skip a beat, a chord striking within him. Did he have these sorts of sights when he was living his past life?

After a while, she turned to look at him. _‘Are you feeling better?’_

He turned to her and smiled genuinely, “it’s a little hard not to feel better after all this. Thank you, Lady Wind.”

 _‘It’s no problem at all, dear~.’_ The wind spirit smiled softly, then glanced at the Messenger’s bag. _‘Now…who are we delivering their letter first?’_

“Oh! Um…”

Jesfred opened up his messenger bag and rummaged through it for a while before finding the letters Man in the Moon had given him. He held the first one up and saw the name under the moonlight: Jack Frost.

“What’s Jack Frost like?” He asked with a curious glance at Lady Wind. 

She seemed to light up at the mention of that Guardian. _‘Oh! He’s the Guardian of Fun! Jack Frost is quite popular among Guardians and the latest to join their group. He’s always playing pranks on others, but they are all in good fun.’_

Lady Wind then hummed, _‘But finding him might be a bit of a hassle…he never stays at the same place for too long. Jack Frost could be anywhere for all we know…’_

Jack Frost… By the sound of his name, it had to do with something cold. The mere thought of being cold didn’t sit well with Jesfred at all. _‘At least I know I don’t like winter,’_ he thought to himself. 

His heart skipped a slight beat. The thought about disliking the cold felt...oddly familiar. Why familiar? He’s been around for such a short time after all- he didn’t even know what snow was until just a moment ago! 

Unless…

Unless it was tied to his past…? 

As he tried to dwell on that thought, a rogue gust of wind blew from directly under him, throwing him off as he lost his grip on the wind! Jesfred let out a cry of shock as his wings struggled to regain their balance, not even realizing he was falling until it was too late. 

_‘Jesfred!!’_

Lady Wind cried after him, soon diving in the hole he caused between the clouds to reach him. The darkness mixed with the cloud particles made it hard for him to see, and he found himself looking and twirling all over in the air as he tried to look for her. 

He dropped past the clouds and soon felt her fast currents quickly wrapping around him, creating a boost to help him regain his balance. _‘I've got you!’_

Jesfred maneuvered his body to make his wings grip onto the wind. He didn’t dare try to fly until he was completely sure he was floating perfectly fine first. 

_‘Are you OK?’_ She asked worriedly as she got back to his side.

“Y-yes…!” He let out a soft sigh, a hand over his chest to steady his pounding heart. When was the last time he felt such powerful fear before?

Lady Wind sighed with relief as well. _‘I’m so glad-’_ But then she cut herself and gasped in alarm. _‘Jesfred! The letters!!’_

During the fall, Jesfred had let go of the five letters in his hand and now they were all being carried away by the wind!

Jesfred’s eyes widened in alarm as he saw them floating away. “Oh, no!!” He cried, and without thinking, flapped his wings hard and raced towards them as fast as he could- so fast, he almost left the wind spirit behind!

Catching up to him, Lady Wind made sure he didn’t lose grip on her gusts as she guided him to the scattered letters. _‘Hurry! You can’t lose them!’_

Jesfred reached out towards the first letter he could see with both arms. It was just out of reach! With a quick and quite strong wing flap, Jesfred gave himself a powerful boost and grabbed the first letter in his hand. He made sure he was holding it safely before reaching for the next one.

They were lucky that they were all in a row!

With a sigh of relief, Jesfred grabbed the next three letters with ease and held them securely in his hands. Only one left, and then they could be back on track.

Jesfred reached for it, but when his fingers were about to brush it, the card flew away! He watched in shock and confusion as it floated up further into the sky with unnatural speed; so fast, it was going through the clouds. “...How-?”

 _‘I… I didn’t do that.’_ Lady Wind said, confused, she was certain she didn’t feel a new gust of wind, so why did the letter change directions so abruptly?

A sudden rush of new wind blew past them both which made Jesfred let out another cry of shock, but this time, it was from the sudden temperature change. 

It was **cold!**

Lady Wind felt it too, and followed right after it, both going through the clouds above them as well. The letter was hard to find, but she finally spotted it a few feet up ahead. The only way she could spot a small letter in the middle of the dark sky was the way it glowed with a bright, blue light.

‘There!’

He looked up and saw it- was the letter always that bright? He couldn't recall but didn't care at the moment. Flapping his wings hard to grab it before it could float away again, he reached out to it, and just as he was about to grab it, a cold blur flew past him. And snatched the letter with it!

“Hey! What-?!”

Jesfred tried to follow the blur with his eyes, but it kept disappearing and reappearing from between the clouds. It was so fast, Jesfred couldn’t believe that something this fast could exist!

“Yo!”

The voice came from behind him. 

He quickly turned around and saw a figure balancing, or rather, surfing, on a large wood staff. A young boy, _a teenager_ , with snow-white hair, bright blue eyes, and pale skin grinned down at him; in his hand was the letter addressed to Jack Frost.

 _‘Oh, hello, Jack Frost! Brother Breeze!’_ Lady Wind greeted the Guardian and her wind sibling, who was the one holding the young man in mid-air.

 _‘Greetings, Sister Wind.’_ The wind sibling said in return with a fond smile.

“What up, Lady Wind?” Jack Frost’s grin widened as he sat down on his staff, legs dangling lazily in the air. “Thought I felt some familiar breezes around here.”

He turned back to Jesfred and gently gestured towards him with the hand that held the letter. “Who’s this? A new friend of yours?”

Jesfred stared at Jack for a second, his mind still processing what had just happened. When Lady Wind mentioned that Jack Frost would be the Guardian of Fun, he expected someone a little...older and more...mature.

...But him being a teenager made much more sense, now that he considered it.

Lady Wind chuckled softly. _‘This is our new, friendly messenger! Introduce yourself, dearie, you wouldn’t like to make a bad first impression now~.'_

Jesfred snapped out of his confusion and gave Lady Wind a quick nod. He carefully floated closer to Jack Frost; the cold sensation he could feel coming off this boy could cut him straight to the bone. Brother Breeze seemed to notice the chills Jesfred was getting and gently blew the cold wind in another direction. Jack didn’t seem to notice.

Jesfred tipped his hat forward in greeting before offering his hand, “My name is Jesfred Duevit. I only recently became a messenger for the Guardians.”

“Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve heard about you, buddy,” Said Jack Frost. “Sorry my wind knocked you off your course, I was in a rush to get back to Burgess.”

He grasped Jesfred’s hand and gave it a quick shake. Jesfred’s face contorted into a shocked expression; holy pigeon feathers, **_it was cold!_ **So cold, the feathers on his wings stuck out stiff from shock.

Jack Frost, well aware of how cold he was, gave Jesfred’s hand a slight squeeze before pulling away. He couldn’t help but snicker slightly at Jesfred’s expression. Neither could Brother Breeze or Lady Wind, both of them chuckling their little interaction.

Jesfred quickly blew into his palm to warm it up; the familiar hatred of hating the cold was making its way back real quick. He had no doubt that his hatred for the cold came from his past life, but there was no way he was going to be actively running around to find out why.

At least, he _hoped_ he didn’t have to go into a cold environment. Not if it was as cold as this Guardian! 

“Oh, it’s quite alright, Mr. Frost,” Jesfred muttered finally, flexing his fingers to get some blood pumping through them again, before growing curious. “...Burgess?”

Jack Frost huffed playfully, “It’s Jack, new guy. Just Jack. No Mr. Frost, no sir, or anything like that. Don’t go all formal on me. Save that for Man in the Moon or Mother Nature, okay?”

“Ahh...sure, Jack.” He mumbled.

“And, to answer your other question...” The winter sprite continued with a small smile, ”Burgess is my hometown, the same place where I lived before I was reborn. My first believer was there, too.”

Jesfred nodded in understanding, then became confused all over again. He glanced at Lady Wind, “Believers?” 

_‘Believers are humans who put their faith in the Guardians, dearie. Primarily children,’_ Lady Wind smiled softly at his confusion. _‘Without believers, the Guardians lose their powers and strength.’_

“Strength? Can you die?” He turned to the Guardian of Fun worriedly as he asked this question.

Jack Frost shook his head, grinning still. “Nah, it’s not that serious! We change shape… Well, Bunnymund does, for sure. But as for the rest of us, we lose our powers and basically what makes us great.”

 _‘Do you know the saying ‘There’s strength in numbers’, Jesfred?’_ Lady Wind asked.

The Messenger gave her another blank look. 

_‘...Right.’_ Lady Wind cleared her throat, trying to ignore the snicker from Jack in the background. _‘Well, it’s as the saying goes. The more humans that believe in the Guardians, the stronger they become because their power relies on human faith.’_

“It’s kinda like your family being there to support you, ya know?” The Guardian of Fun shrugged casually. “I’m sure you had people like that to support you in your past life.” 

_‘Jack-!’_

“...” Jesfred simply stared at Jack Frost, suddenly feeling like he didn’t belong. Brother Breeze glanced at Lady Wind, and she shook her head at him. The wind sibling seemed slightly shocked before looking back at Jesfred. 

“I... don't know. I don’t remember my past life.” The Messenger finally muttered, feeling awkward.

Now Jack seemed surprised. He glanced at Lady Wind, and she nodded towards him. _‘He’s only been reborn since a few hours ago, dearie.’_

The winter sprite nodded and made an understanding hum, arms crossed over his chest. “Don’t worry,” He lightly tapped Jesfred’s shoulder. “I had that same reaction when I was told that I had a past life too.”

Jesfred’s eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat. If Jack Frost had trouble remembering his past life, and if he had experienced remembering them, then…

Perhaps…

“...What… made you remember your memories? And, could you tell me about them?”

* * *

Thank you for reading! This work was made in collaboration with my best friend SparkSparta, and there's more to come! How will Jack respond to Jesfred's question?

You'll find out in the next chapter!

Don't forget to leave a comment and drop your Kudos~!

And finally, here's another illustration!

If you wish to see more art of this AU, follow me on Tumblr at DreamerAwaken!

Until next time~!


	3. Down the Rabbit’s Hole, He Goes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While looking for the next Guardian to deliver their letter, Jesfred starts learning little bits about his own abilities...

“... What… made you remember your memories? And, could you tell me about them?”

Jack stared back at Jesfred with a little surprise, but then he smiled. "Well, I can try… but, why ask me and not Man in the Moon?"

"He spoke to me when I woke up, but…he didn't give me a lead to my memories, other than: 'Deliver the letters'." Jesfred admitted.

"Huh, that's a little better from what he told me when I first came around." The Guardian of Fun said with a playful roll of his ice-blue eyes. "When I first came to, all he told me was my name and left me to wander the Earth for about three hundred years to find the answers myself."

Jesfred seemed taken aback by such a statement. How could Jack sound so calm about it? He couldn't recall how long three hundred years were like…but, they sounded like too much time for anyone to bear.

A sudden frightening thought crossed his mind: what if he spent that long to recall his own memories? What if it took him longer?

"I-I'm sorry that happened to you, it sounds… terrible. And you were alone all that time?" He stammered.

Jack sighed softly, his calm expression turning a little more melancholic. "Yeah, well… the other Guardians were around, but they were too uptight for me back then, and when you are invisible for kids-"

"Wait, kids? You mean children?" Jesfred questioned, eyes widening at the new piece of information. "They can't see you?"

"Wow, I know Man in the Moon is bad at sparring details but this is almost too much." Jack huffed a laugh, shooting the moon a playful look before shrugging. "Ah, they can't see Guardians if they don't believe they exist, which was my case until recently."

"Oh… I see." The Messenger murmured. 

What else did he not know? Why was Man in the Moon being so secretive about this? 

_'Jesfred...?'_ Lady Wind's soft voice brought him back to reality. She sounded a little concerned.

The Messenger sighed. He knew they had to keep going, but…

"I-I just wish to remember." He admitted. "I want to know who I am, because… I feel like I'm missing something…"

Jack smiled, sadly, as he understood where Jesfred was coming from. "That could be your core."

Jesfred blinked in confusion. "My core? What is that supposed to mean?" He questioned.

The winter sprite sat back on his staff as he began explaining, saving his letter inside his pocket while playing with a small snowflake between his fingers. "A core is what drives each of us individually- I bring fun to children wherever I go because that's my core. If you feel something's missing, then that could be it."

His core… could that really be it? If it was...!

"How did you figure it out?" Jesfred asked, a little eager upon finally getting answers to his questions. “Your core?”

"I realized it almost too late; have you heard about what went down with Pitch Black?" The Guardian asked, and the Messenger quickly nodded. He continued, "It happened then. When I recalled who I was in my past life, I knew what my core was."

The winged Messenger hummed as he listened, before rubbing his index finger under his own chin as he pondered. "... So it all comes down to the memories of our past lives, then?"

The Guardian of Fun nodded. "Pretty much, yeah. I'm sure you will find your core when you recall everything. But… I don’t think I can tell you where to start looking.”  
  
“Huh? W-why not?” Jesfred stammered, looking both surprised and a little disheartened by the sudden news.  
  
Jack Frost smiled apologetically. “I know how much you want to know what’s up; I wished someone had told me during the time I was roaming around without a single clue of what my purpose was, but…”

He stood quiet for a moment, in silent thought, before continuing. “I think everything worked out fine because I didn’t know until the moment I recalled everything. You know, fate and all that stuff,” He said dangling one of his legs from his staff as he glanced at the night sky. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Man in the Moon knew that would happen.”

The Messenger sighed softly, seeming disappointed at that. “So, I will have to wait until the right moment…?”  
  
“Hey, now, it’s not as terrible as you may think. You can spend your time exploring the world and learning how humans live. It’s what I did.” The Guardian of Fun said with a slight shrug, smiling in hopes of reassuring Jesfred. “Plus, you can have some fun meeting up with the other spirits and Guardians as you go along-” 

Jack Frost paused, before grinning more brightly- if anything, the moonlight made his teeth shine like the pure white snow Jesfred saw when he first woke up. “Say, who else have you delivered the letters to?”

“Ah, you’re the first, actually,” Jesfred admitted a bit sheepishly. “And by mere luck, at that...” He muttered the last part.  
  
“Ohhh, you still have to meet up with Bunny then.” Jack snickered.  
  
The Messenger blinked. “Bunny? You mean, E. Aster Bunnymund?”

Jack nodded, laughing a little more. “The same one! No one really calls him that though; I love pranking that guy to no end.” He admitted with mirth.  
  
“I guess I can drop by and deliver his letter, then-” Jesfred voiced, smiling slightly. ”How do I get to his place? Do you know a way, Lady Wind?” He asked his companion.  
  
 _‘I do. Easter is still a long way to come, so he’s probably at the Warren keeping guard of his land._ ’ She said, but then hummed. _‘But, it is hard for me to locate the tunnels that connect to it… there is one in every country, but they can change position as a safety measure throughout the year.’_  
  
The news made Jesfred sigh tiredly. “Guess we’re going to need more luck finding it, huh…”  
  
“Eh, I’m sure you guys will find your way. Just make sure not to piss him off so quickly, the guy can hold grudges for decades- no kidding.” Jack said with a chuckle and then stood back up on his staff with little effort.  
  
The Guardian of Fun smiled at them. “Well, I still have a long way to go before getting to Burgess. It was nice meeting you, Jesfred. Good luck with the rest of your deliveries. And to you too Lady Wind.”

“Thank you, and, thank you for explaining things to me.” The Messenger said with a soft smile and tip of his hat. “I’ll be seeing you later if I have another delivery for you… or before that.”  
  
“I'll make sure not to run into Lady Wind’s current next time.” Said the Guardian of Fun with a smaller, but more honest grin, before turning to his wind spirit. “Ready to go?”  
  
 _‘As always.’_ He said, before bowing his head towards the others. _'Jesfred, Sister Wind, may Mother Nature’s blessing keep you out of harm’s way.'_  
  
 _‘And you as well, Brother Breeze.’_ Lady Wind said with a bow of her own.  
  
One cold gust of wind surrounded them for a second, and Jack Frost was gone in the next, leaving a trail of snowflakes behind as he soared through the night sky and out of sight.  
  
Jesfred watched him leave for a moment, their exchange of words still fresh in his mind. 

Finding his core, recalling his memories of his past life… The Messenger really wanted to do all of that, just to quell the anxiety he felt. Not knowing who he was supposed to be, and unable to get his answers were starting to become pretty stressful. 

How did Jack Frost even manage to do that for three hundred years...?  
  
He took a deep breath, trying to get his mind to focus on anything but his current dilemma. One thing was for sure… he wouldn’t accomplish much by staying in the same spot and driving himself insane. 

... Jesfred had work to finish, after all.

With his mindset on track once more, he turned to Lady Wind and smiled as he gripped his bag’s strap.  
  
“So… where is the nearest tunnel?”

* * *

One long flight later, and without any new interruptions or dangerous wing maneuvers, the duo had arrived in a new country. The clear indication of it was the millions of lights glowing under them, turning what was once just empty land into a fascinating sight of bright golden dots forming intricate patterns on the ground.

Jesfred was amazed. What were they? Why were they so many?  
  
“What are those… ground stars bellow us?” He dared to ask, coming with the best description he had at the moment for comparison.

Lady Wind chuckled softly from beside him. _‘Those are simply called lights, Jesfred. One of humankind’s creations. It serves them to chase away the darkness that surrounds them at night…’_ There was a shift in her currents. _‘But you’re right, they do seem like stars if you see them from up here.’_

Jesfred had noticed that Lady Wind’s currents were growing weaker. He turned to look at her, a little concerned. “Is everything alright?”

_‘Everything is alright, dearie! I’m just getting you ready to land. We’ve arrived.’_ She informed him, sounding quite calm herself, which helped him relax as well.  
  
The Messenger smiled- that was great! As much as the sights from the sky amazed him, Jesfred missed having solid ground beneath his feet. 

Looking ahead, he looked around to give himself an idea of where to land. It was hard to see from the distance, but as they closed in, he could make the vague shape of… things… covered in snow.

He didn’t know what any of these things were.

“Lady Wind? Where should I…?” He asked while trying to figure out where to land- maybe in one of the tall things that were covered in snow?

The wind spirit, however, guided him away from the buildings and into a stone path. _‘Right here.‘_

“Got it!”  
  
Jesfred began to slowly tilt backward, raising the front of his wings to start cutting the wind currents around him and making him descend to the ground. Concentrating as much as he could, Jesfred extended his legs and prepared himself.  
  
He ended his descend and touched the ground, his legs planting down firmly to avoid falling forwards. Upon touching the ground, Jesfred wings suddenly vanished and turned back into a cape, making him lose balance for a moment- he hadn’t quite realized how much weight they took off him!

But, all in all… a perfect landing. And on the first try! Jesfred felt pretty good about it as he stood back up straight and fixed his hat.  
  
 _‘Great job, dearie!’_ Lady Wind said, appearing before him and clapping her hands lightly, making the Messenger chuckle and bow playfully, making her giggle.

Jesfred stood back up and smiled, before looking around. They were… in a place surrounded by those tall, square-ish things, and the ground was made of stone? Well, the one he was standing on right now because right next to it the ground shifted into something darker and smoother. He could hear the ocean in the distance as well. 

Looking around, he spotted an impressive, and for a second, scary sight. A huge man and a woman, looking right at each other, while another man mounted a four-legged creature behind them. They were an odd shade of green; were those spirits too? 

“Um, Lady Wind? Who are they?” The Messenger asked, a little nervously, as he pointed out what he meant.

She turned around, blinked, and laughed softly. _‘Those are statues, my dear. Another of humanity’s creation. They build the statues to honor things, and this in particular was built for a King. Gustav II Adolf, I believe.’_

A King? That sounded important. And it must’ve been if this ‘King’ had a statue of himself. Jesfred looked at the tribute and seemed confused- which one of them was the King? The one with the lady, or the one mounting the creature?

_‘But, anyway, this is a great way to tell where we are exactly.’_ Lady Wind said, taking him out of his thoughts. She turned to him and smiled. _‘Welcome to ’Stockholm’! The capital city of ‘Sweden’.’_

“Sweden, say?” Jesfred said, taking in more of the place- there were several plants and, he dared to say, more human inventions surrounding them. Was this all made by them? They were so crafty! “It’s a lot to take in...”

Lady Wind hummed next to him. _‘It must be since this is the first human city you’ve been in.’_ She smiled lightly. _‘But don’t worry, there are no dangers for us to worry about.’_

Well, that was good. More than good actually.

The Messenger turned to Lady Wind. “Say… can you tell me more about this place while we look for that tunnel you mentioned?”

_‘Oh, it’d be my pleasure~!’_

They began to walk over the stone paths- sidewalks, and streets, as the wind spirit contently explained Jesfred everything he pointed at. 

It was cold, and there was snow as far as an eye could see, but Jesfred was so interested in everything surrounding them, that the cold didn’t bother him as much.

_‘Try to guess what this is?’_ Lady Wind said with a grin as she gestured an object beside her, which was slightly tilted sideways. It was made of metal poles and had two…circular things filled with more poles. Jesfred seemed quite lost until she giggled and added: _‘It is used for moving on roads and streets with ease~.'_

“...Oh! Is it a bicycle?” Jesfred guessed with a smile, remembering that was what she had mentioned at the start of their journey.

_‘Yes, it is!’_ She confirmed with glee, and they continued on their way.

Buildings, houses, windows, lanterns, posters, flags, plant pots, trash cans, more bicycles, and cars…all of these, as he had guessed, made by man. Except for the trees, of course. 

But everything else was made by them! And with so many materials as well! Stone, brick, metal, to name a few. How long did it take them to make these things? How many humans were needed to make everything?

The Messenger absorbed as much knowledge as he could from Lady Wind’s descriptions- it called his attention that, apparently, humans all around the globe counted on buildings to keep themselves safe, but their shelters could look vastly different depending on the country they were built. 

And not only that but human’s traditions and cultures, food, and even their appearances, changed across the globe. 

“Why can’t they have the same traditions? Isn’t it a hassle to have so many different ways of living their lives?” He asked.

_‘Perhaps, but that is exactly what makes them so endearing.’_ Lady Wind replied while contently floating. She seemed to enjoy being on the ground as much as he did. _‘Not a single human is ever the same as the rest.’_

“Huh.”

Not long after, and after seeing as much as they could during their walk, they arrived at a different place. It was a vast green space with one building near the entrance- a library, Lady Wind told him. The rest of said place was nothing but trees, grass, and smaller roads to walk on.

_‘This is Humlegården, it was a royal garden before becoming a public park.’_ The wind spirit explained as they walked inside. _‘It’s the last place I heard E. Aster’s tunnel could be located.’_

“Do you know where we can find it in this place, though?” Jesfred asked as he kept looking around, watching how the lights of the lanterns outlined the trees and the benches, bathing the dark around them with gold accents.

Simple as it was, Jesfred had to admit it was beautiful none the less.

Lady Wind made an affirmative hum in response, calling his attention back to her. _‘I do, it should be nearby from here…’_

It was just a few minutes later until they arrived at yet another huge statue and Jesfred walked closer to see it. Surrounded by a wide ring of flowers, the statue stood proudly in the middle. A man was standing on top, and ladies sitting at the bottom, and he noticed there was something written on it with golden letters.

“...Linné?” He read out loud. 

_‘Yes, this is Linnémonumentet.’_ Lady Wind said from beside him.

“Was this person a King as well?” Jesfred asked her, before looking back up at the figure of the man.

_‘Not actually. This gentleman, Carl von Linné, was a botanist and zoologist.’_ She said, moving away from him as Jesfred continued to admire the statue.

...Well, Linné must’ve been important too, if they were watching a statue built in his honor, right? 

Jesfred turned to Lady Wind then, watching how she floated over the flowers, being as delicate as she could to avoid damaging them with her element... but he then noticed her troubled expression.

“What’s wrong?” The Messenger asked as he approached her and stood outside the ring of flowers, seeming concerned as well.

The wind spirit lifted her sight to look at him. _‘I can’t… find the tunnel.’_ She admitted, worriedly, still looking around, gently moving the plants aside to peek between them. _‘It was supposed to be hidden here, under the foliage. Oh, dear…’_

That did not sound well. 

“A-and, do you have another lead?” Jesfred stammered.

_‘I don’t… I really thought we could catch that tunnel before it moved places.’_ Lady Wind replied, crossing her arms and seeming to be thinking hard. _‘All I know is that E. Aster tends leaving his tunnels in areas surrounded by nature.’_

She sighed, dropping her arms to her sides. _‘We can fly to another country and try finding the tunnel from there.’_

Jesfred became nervous at the idea of having to fly to another city and the possibility of not finding the tunnel there, either- what if they take so long that he won’t be able to deliver the rest of the letters? He didn’t want to figure out if a delay meant trouble! 

A delayed delivery felt so wrong, almost ridiculously so- but he was a Messenger! And if he was going to be the Guardian’s delivery man, he couldn’t fail his task so early!

A chord was struck deep within him. He froze slightly, wondering why it mattered so much to him... He quickly shook his head, not wanting to think about it now.

Trying to calm down somewhat, his mind rushing with ideas, Jesfred began to voice his mind. “I-I don’t know if that’s the best option? I mean, we’re already here and it took us a while to get here! And my- my wings are aching after that flight alone; we should be saving energy if we’re going to see all the Guardians, right?”

_‘You do have a point.’_ Lady Wind agreed, floating near him and blowing a gentle breeze through his hair, offering a sympathetic smile. _‘But if we are going to think of a way to find the Warren, you should try calming down…’_

“I… right...” The Messenger groaned and took a deep breath. “Okay, we should…” He paused, thinking of an actual plan, but only came up with one: “We should look around other places like this. Maybe in another park? Because there is always one tunnel we can use to get to him in the same city, right?”

Lady Wind nodded. _‘Yes, there’s always one open, in case the nature spirits need to find him.’_

“...So, how do you find it when you need it?” Jesfred wondered. “It can’t be that hard. I mean, a hole that leads into a Guardian’s home can’t be hard to miss?”

_‘Well, there is something about it. For one, only the nature spirits can see the entrance and go through it. No one else may see the tunnels unless you obtain E. Aster’s approval.’_ She explained. _‘But since you are with me, I can lead you into the Warren without much issue.’_

Lady Wind then looked around, deciding which way to go. _‘Finding it is the trickiest part- word spreads between us nature spirits when the location is changed, but even that can take a while. And if E. Aster changed it recently, then I might as well be the first to notice…’_

The Messenger gently tugged and twisted his bag’s strap as he listened to her. “...I can see why you guys need a messenger.” He muttered, before rubbing the back of his head. “Guess there’s really nothing to do but look for another park and get lucky.”

_‘Pretty much-’_

The sound of distant voices called their attention.

Jesfred looked up in time to see two men, having a stroll through the park. They looked so much like him, and Jack Frost, but not quite? They didn’t seem very young, either. Maybe older than himself.

They wore clothes that seemed to be made of soft and bulky materials, covering their entire bodies except for their faces; the clothes seemed to be keeping them warm from the cold environment. 

_‘It is quite late for humans to be out…but, I guess some enjoy walking together at odd hours.’_ Lady Wind said with a fond chuckle. 

Oh, so they were normal humans? This...this was the first time he’s seen them, wasn’t it?

Jesfred stared at them, but…for some reason, as he watched them walking and chatting, in a language he was not familiar with, the Messenger had to admit that this felt…normal, in an odd way.

After hearing so much about humanity’s creations, the Messenger expected to be a little more excited to see his first humans. But something about the two approaching them made him believe that they were so normal, that he found they didn’t need to be so special. Like if they were fine just being themselves, or something along those lines.

Definitely not as shocking as having the Moon speak to you, or meeting with the Guardian of Fun for the first time.

Jesfred continued to watch them, taking in more of their appearance. Tall, fair skin, light blonde hair. Was that the appearance of the locals of this country?

Hang on…locals!

“Hey, maybe they know which way to go to the nearest park!” He immediately said, before walking towards them as he retreated the Guardian’s letter from his bag, ignoring Lady Wind’s calls.

Jesfred stood near the men with a smile. “Good night, sirs! Could you help us out? We need to deliver this letter and-”

He suddenly froze and stood perfectly still in shock. 

The letter slipped from his grasp as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.

The men had gone…right through him.

As in, **literally** , right through him.

Sputtering out of his shock, he turned to gawk at them in utter confusion, but the humans barely paid him any mind- what was that about!? How could they act as if nothing had just happened!?

Lady Wind was soon by his side, and he pointed at the men. “D-did you see that!?” He sounded agitated. “Was- was that normal!? Humans can do that!?”

_‘Jesfred, calm down.’_ She told him with a soft sigh. _‘Humans can only see and hear us if they believe in us, remember?’_

Right, he’s forgotten about that- but he still did not expect that at all!

“So… they can’t see me, can’t hear me, and can walk right through me? That’s… actually a little scary- actually forget it, it’s terrifying!” He babbled as he watched the men laughing and walking into the distance. 

_‘Don’t worry, dearie, you might get used after a while.’_ She told him with a sympathetic smile. _‘I know you meant well by asking directions, but let’s keep the job only to ourselves, alright?’_

Jesfred sighed and closed his eyes. Their job, right. Nodding, he stood back up and turned to her with a sheepish expression. “I bet you know which place we should go check, right?”

_‘I do have a few ideas, so we should be quick if we want to find that tunnel as fast as we can.’_ The winter spirit said, then noticed something on the ground. She put her hands on her hips as she shot Jesfred a look. _‘But maybe we should start by having the letter we are delivering with us?’_

The Messenger flinched; he’s forgotten about that! He turned to the way Lady Wind had gestured and evidently found the envelope on the ground- wait.

Why was it so far away? There wasn’t any wind blowing, and yet the letter was about ten feet away from them!

Jesfred hurried to where the letter was, internally thanking Lady Wind to have such sharp eyes, before noticing something that made him stop dead in his tracks, again.

...The letter was moving. 

On its own.

“Uhhh, Lady Wind? Am I losing my mind or…?” He signaled the letter to her, which kept slowly moving and hopping further away from them- was it also glowing? It was!

The wind spirit noticed, and widened her eyes at the odd sight. _‘I… I can see it. But that’s not me doing it…’_

Jesfred, still confused over everything going on around him, finally reached down and grabbed the letter from the ground, lifting it and making sure it wasn’t dirty or damaged. 

“First I get walked through, and now one of my letters move and glow on their own? What’s next?” He mumbled, not catching the way Lady Wind seemed to perk up at what he had said.

_‘Wait, Jesfred…’_ She started as he was about to put the letter back into his bag, making him turn to look at her. ‘ _Remember what happened to Jack Frost’s letter? Didn’t it also move on its own account when we were trying to catch it?’_

“Didn’t his wind current do that, though?” Jesfred asked in return, lifting an eyebrow slightly. “I mean, that would make sense-”

_‘The only thing is, there was no way another wind spirit took the letter because I would’ve felt them. But we were on our own when that happened.’_ She interrupted him, her eyes widening at what was running through her mind. _‘And that’s not all, the letter headed straight to Jack Frost too! Didn’t it?’_

Catching up to her train of thought, Jesfred’s eyes opened wide as realization dawned on him. 

She was right! The letter behaved in a way it shouldn’t have back then- and it had glowed too before Jack Frost had caught it!

“You don’t mean…” He glanced down at the envelope in his hand. “...that the letters know which way to go to be delivered?”

Lady Wind nodded, yet looked thoughtful. _‘I mean, it’s only a wild guess… but, maybe we could try and see where this letter was heading to?’_ She floated closer, extending her hand to reach for the letter.

“Wouldn’t that be too weird? Besides- what’s the point in me being a messenger if the letter can just deliver themselves?” He questioned as he gave her the envelope and let her inspect it. “I mean, Man in the Moon could do the job himself if that were the case.”

_‘And it’s clearly not. Look,’_ She offered him the letter; the green glow it had was gone. _‘It stopped glowing the moment I touched it.’_

Jesfred blinked and took the letter back and it immediately glowed again once he held it. So, he was the reason they glowed? What could that even mean?

The Messenger kept looking at the letter he was holding, each second becoming more intrigued by it while watching the way the shiny letters glistered thanks to its own glow, reading the name it belonged to as he considered the oddness of it all.

It was too strange to just follow on nothing but a guess, and if they were wrong, they would only end up wasting more time.

...But, then again, so would they if they went looking into every single park around Stockholm for the tunnel they needed.

With that said… well, holding onto a little hope never hurt anyone, right?

Jesfred turned to look at her and offered a slight smile. “Let’s try it out, one lead is better than nothing.” He looked at the letter and thought about just letting it go, but he didn’t want to risk damaging the envelope…

Before he could ponder his options, he felt something. A very light tug, from the same hand that was holding the letter. The Messenger looked at his hand, blinking.

He felt another tug. And then another.

The letter was the one tugging at him!

“I-I think I figured out something.” He blurted out, then turned to Lady Wind. “Do you think you can take me into the air again?”

_‘Of course. Hold on tight!’_

A powerful gust of wind caused his cape to switch back into pristine white wings, and Jesfred beat them to lift himself off the ground. Once he was high enough and got a good grip on Lady Wind’s current, he glanced at the envelope in his hand.

Time to test it out.

The letter tugged at him again in a certain direction: East. He nodded, mostly to himself, and began flying that way. Jesfred made sure to keep a firm grasp of the envelope as he let it guide them through the cold night.

They left the city after a few minutes, only to fly shortly over the sea towards another rural area. Jesfred noticed the letter was now tugging them… downwards.

“Let’s land here!” He told Lady Wind, who helped him descend. Once his feet touched the ground- this one was different, it was made entirely of pebbles; he began looking around as his wings turned back into a cape.

Many trees were surrounding them, and also pillars with more statues on top of them, though these were much smaller than the last few they saw- did humans like making many of them, or was that a ‘Sweden’ thing…?

_‘Millesgården… This is a sculpture garden.’_ Lady Wind said once she appeared before him. 

Ah, that explained the statues then.

She turned to look at him, amazed. _‘This is a good place to start looking. Did the letter really bring us here?’_

“I’d say so.” Jesfred answered, glancing at the slightly brighter and still tugging letter- it was more active, did that meant they were close? 

He followed the direction the letter kept tugging him with Lady Wind following behind, it took them straight to a flat stone stairway that would lead them to the rest of the garden, and Jesfred through they would have to climb them all.

Then, the envelope tugged strongly towards his right.  
  
“W-Woah! Easy…!” He said, a little surprised by the sudden strength, before turning his head to take a look. By the side of the stairway, some bushes were growing. Or were they small trees? 

Jesfred signaled them to Lady Wind. “Is that it?”

_‘I’ll go check.’_ She told him, quickly floating towards that space. It didn’t take her long to answer, in fact, all it took her was to gently push a branch aside. _‘It’s right here!’_

“Wait, really?” The Messenger quickly got to her side to see for himself, excitement flowing through his senses, but it vanished almost instantly as he saw the place she was signaling; it was just… grass. “Uhh...”  
  
 _‘Remember, only nature spirits can see it.’_ She told him with a smile. _‘It’s right there on the ground! And it’ll take us right into the Warren.’_

Jesfred carefully stood closer, dragged his feet over the patch of grass… and realized his feet went right through it. “Okay, that's kinda creepy. What if someone falls down through this?” He asked, pulling his leg back.

The wind spirit shrugged. _‘I haven’t heard about that happening. Humans can walk over a tunnel and not notice; other beings who aren’t nature spirits like me can’t see them but still go through them.’_ Lady Wind stood aside, probably by the edge of the invisible tunnel. _‘E. Aster makes sure to place his tunnels in areas where being like you won’t find them with ease.’_

It did make sense.

Jesfred was about to say something along the lines of: ‘Let’s go down the tunnel’, already imagining a peaceful trip through it until they would eventually meet up with the next Guardian, deliver his letter, maybe have a nice chat with and then carry on their way.

But the letter itself had a totally different plan.

Which included tugging into Jesfred’s arm so strongly and so suddenly, that the Messenger lost balance, slipped on the edge of the tunnel, and fell right through it!  
  
 _‘JESFRED!’_ Lady Wind cried after watching him fall and quickly went after him.

Jesfred was too busy panicking and screaming as he tumbled, rolled, and slid all across the dirt walls of the tunnels, clutching the letter against his chest as if his life depended on it. He had his eyes shut tightly and didn’t realize just how bright the envelope was glowing as he skidded over the dirt.

Thankfully, for him, it was over as soon as it had started. 

The landing was a little more gentle than the fall, certainly, as Jesfred tumbled over a patch of soft grass the moment he rolled out of the tunnel. 

He quickly stood up, aching all over but too worked up and shaken to care, gasping and panting as he checked himself. His hat had fallen next to him and he kneeled to pick it up, dusting some dirt off it before putting it back on with a deep sigh.

Jesfred began dusting off his uniform and took a look at his surroundings.

...And then felt breathless for a completely different reason.

If he thought the parks in Sweden were lovely, then the Warren was majestic in every sense of the word. 

Perfectly trimmed, lush grass and long rock trails stretched as far as the eye could see. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of flowers growing at every corner and turn, decorating the landscape with their vibrant colors and sweet fragrances. 

He saw trees that were so big and verdant it made the ones in Sweden look like shrubs, and just by seeing how wide their trunks were, he knew that these were at least a hundred years old. Birds were singing from the top of said trees, their sweet and melodic chirps soothing his senses along with the sounds of a distant river.

It was a beautiful image that was abruptly cut by a boomerang landing dangerously close to his feet.

Yelping and falling back in shock, Jesfred’s wings came out instinctively as he stared at the object that was no doubt thrown at him. Where did that even come from-!?

**“Oi!”**

Jesfred looked up at the call and his eyes widened in both surprise and fear. Before he stood an odd sight- a huge rabbit standing up tall, like a human, glowering down at him with bright, green eyes and another boomerang in hand.

Was this the Easter Bunny!? Jesfred had thought they were less aggressive!

The Guardian took his silence as his chance to keep speaking. “How did a bloke like ya end up at my Warren!?” He demanded, his accent making him sound even angrier than he already was- unless he was already pissed off.

“I-it was an accident!” Jesfred yelped in response, lifting his hands and shaking them in a panicked flutter. “I tripped and fell! I-”

Aster Bunnymund huffed, hard. “ **‘Accident’**? I make sure to place my tunnels where no one can find ‘em by accident! Ya think I can’t tell when some drongo is tryna’ break-in!?”

The rabbit held his boomerang up. “Not riskin' my holiday for the likes of ya- now get lost!!” And he tossed the boomerang straight at the Messenger!  
  
Watching the boomerang zooming right towards him made Jesfred act on instinct.

In a panicked attempt, not really thinking about what he was doing, Jesfred spread his wings in a snap and beat them furiously, creating a wind current strong enough to change the course of the weapon! It only changed slightly, but the boomerang avoided his head just by little!

“Bloody hell...!”

Jesfred noticed that the Easter Bunny was covering his face because of the strong wind currents he caused but immediately noticed that the rabbit was quickly reaching for something- something small and colorful that he clutched in his hand the moment it was grabbed.

He didn’t get to see much of it because it was thrown at the ground and it exploded into a cloud of colorful dust! It was a bomb! The sound startled him pretty badly and Jesfred only managed to stand up while the beat of his wings cleared up the smoke.

Aster was gone from sight, and it **terrified him.** Where did he go!?

He figured out the moment the rabbit tackled him and sent him skidding down a hill. Jesfred cried out in pain as one of his wings hit a rock on the way down. He reached the bottom, looked up, and rolled away immediately, avoiding another of E. Aster’s pounces by little!  
  
The Messenger scrambled to stand back up and make a run for it, but a sudden pained wail escaped him as he left an excruciating stab in his left wing the moment he did, making him turn his head and gasp at the sight of his wing, stretched and limp beside him.

**He couldn’t move it.**

His already spiked panic turned into deep anxiety.

Was his wing broken!? How was he supposed to fly!? How was he going to escape this place!?

The rabbit had noticed this too, ears perking up at the cry Jesfred made and focusing on his wing with widened eyes. He said nothing but began to approach, quickly.

Oh no, oh no no no no **nono-**

“Get away from me!!” He suddenly cried, his other wing puffing out and flapping violently while the other just dragged itself on the ground and _oh no it hurt so much why wasn’t his wing moving why-_

Aster jumped back at the scream and frowned at the Messenger. “Just- lemme get a look at-”

“NO! **DON’T COME NEAR ME!** **”** He hollered, hysterical, and continued flapping his wing to keep the rabbit away.

He was breathing too quickly and too raggedly, feeling the adrenaline starting to be replaced by the pain and fatigue he felt all over his body. But he couldn’t give in! Not with that crazy rabbit so close!!

Jesfred had swung his wing so violently that feathers came loose, some brushing against E. Aster, and it made the rabbit freeze in his spot.

Did- did the rabbit’s eyes just shine right now…?

The Messenger’s legs buckled and gave in, making him fall on the ground with a pained groan, his vision began to fade into darkness.

“Wha- hey!” 

Jesfred heard the rabbit coming towards him before passing out.

* * *

Thank you for reading!

And this time we end with an actual cliffhanger!

Next chapter might be shorter, or not! I'm working on it, but it might take me a while since I'm juggling my homework from college. I also plan on coming back to this one to fix some grammar mistakes, and re-write Bunny's accent- if you got any tips for writing the Australian accent please let me know in the comments! I'd greatly appreciate it~!

**EDIT:** For the next updates I'm planning on sharing the wonderful artwork my AU received over Tumblr!! <3 (All the artist gave me their permission!)

Today's feature is from **knnw-a**! ISN'T HER ART AMAZING??? That lineart and that shading!! So good!!!! Thank you so much again for drawing my dove man, he looks so lovely in your style! <3 <3

Don't forget to wash your hands, stay at home, leave a comment, and drop your Kudos~!


	4. Messages in Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking up, Jesfred learns more about the Guardians and has a special encounter...

When he came back to his senses, the first thing he felt was a gentle breeze and the soft sound of moving grass surrounding him.

The next thing? _Soreness._

 _"...Nnngh…"_ He groaned as he forced his eyes to open, but it didn't help much- it was dark already, dark to the point he couldn’t even tell where the sky was.

...Wait. Where was he-?

**The Warren.**

He snapped his eyes open with a gasp at the realization and scurried to sit up, only for a sharp pain to shoot up his back, making him yelp. “Ouch!” Unlike the sensation of the cold or the gusts of flying, this type of feeling was greatly unwelcomed. He shifted his position slightly, trying to lessen the pain- or preferably- make it go away. 

_‘Jesfred!’_

A warm breeze swarmed around his figure, warming up his body and aching muscles- Lady Wind was here! Jesfred sighed in relief and let himself stay like that, immediately finding comfort from her within this strange grassy… home? Field? Field. Yeah, that’s the word.

He shook his head quickly, now wasn’t the time to look at his surroundings and find the right terms for it…!

“L-Lady Wind!” He exclaimed, looking around himself alarmingly to find her face amidst the gusts of wind surrounding him. “W-we gotta get out of here! And FAST! The rabbit’s completely **NUTS!** B-but my wing-!”

 _‘Jesfred, calm down, it’s okay._ ’ Lady Wind pulled herself away from the panicking messenger and gave him a soft smile. _‘You’re okay. It was a misunderstanding, I explained everything to Bunnymund.’_

The panicked messenger stood stock still, before glancing at his broken wing… that wasn’t broken anymore. Wait, maybe it was the other wing? He turned to the other, but it was fine, too! 

“How…?” He whispered as he turned and examined each wing, finding nothing was wrong with them. He was absolutely sure he broke one of his wings in the scruffle! There was no way he made that up!

His wind spirit friend’s smile widened, _‘Ah, don’t fret, dear! Bunnymund healed your wing for you.’_ She said, moving her warm winds around him again, this time a little lighter to signify a gentler hug. 

_Now he was lost._

“Haaaang on just a sec...” He said, gesturing with his hands and only focusing on them as he tried to work through his agitated thoughts. “You’re telling me, that the human-sized rabbit that threw explosive things and some weird flying stick at me-”

 _‘You mean his boomerang?’_ Lady Wind asked with a bit of amusement.

“-I GUESS??” He said, throwing up his arms, but that didn’t make him any less confused. “I’m not done though! You’re telling me that guy, who technically broke my wing, just decided to heal it after attacking me??”

 _'Jesfred, I told you, I gave him a good talking to,’_ She said with a calm and even voice. _‘Besides, he was already healing you before I arrived. I just... made sure he wouldn’t jump to conclusions next time.’_

_Conclusions?_

Jesfred didn’t really seem to buy it, but before he could voice it, he recalled something. “Lady Wind, you weren’t there with me when all that went down, right?” He didn’t sound accusatory, but rather worried. “What happened to you?”

The wind spirit sighed softly with a shake of her head, but more so at the previous circumstances. _‘Oh, you see, the tunnel broke off into two routes. You happened to get pulled into the shorter one.’_

 _Pulled-?_ Oh, the letter!

Rummaging through his bag, he noticed the mentioned card was not in there- he knew because its green glow was nowhere to be seen. He got nervous quickly- what happened to the letter? His only job was to deliver it! Did he lose it??

“...Lookin’ for somethin’, mate?”

They turned towards the approaching figure of Bunnymund. In one arm, there was a load of food stuffed inside a sack made of woven roots. And in his hand, was the letter that pulled Jesfred into the Warren. 

Bunnymund’s posture was much looser and relaxed than when Jesfred arrived, yet the suspicion in his eyes remained. Still, it made the winged messenger anxious. 

Had it not been by the wind spirit holding him, he would have bolted from there. 

Lady Wind seemed to have noticed this because her winds became warmer around him as she said: _‘Relax, dearie.’_

“Thing came flyin’ ta me when Lady Wind ‘ere arrived.” He explained as he held up the card, briefly glancing at her as he did so.

Lady Wind smiled at him but wasn’t above giving Bunnymund a few strong gusts of winds to let him know not to scare Jesfred again. E. Aster huffed quietly, before walking closer to drop the bag, but he still kept a little distance from the newcomers.

Lady Wind guided a few of the fruits towards Jesfred. She could see the curiosity in his eyes as they were moved towards him. Apples, oranges, and a few bunches of grapes, strawberries, and blueberries. _‘These are fruits, Jesfred. They all have different flavors and textures, and they’re quite tasty. You need energy before flying again.’_

“‘Specially after I went through the trouble of gettin’ it fer ya, postman.” Bunnymund’s gaze slowly turned towards Jesfred’s back, focusing on his wings. “How’s tha’ wing doin’? My magic ain’t slippin’, is it?”

Jesfred frowned back at the rabbit, the nerve of that guy!

Instead, he huffed. “Oh, man, I dunno- did you actually heal it up fully or just go halfway with it to keep _messing_ with me?”

“Oi, if ya gonna act all up like tha’, ya might as well get on yer bike.”

“Well, I don’t have a bike so be quiet!” He suddenly snapped, unable to keep himself composed. “I went through ALL the trouble of flying over the world looking for a hole in the ground to deliver _your_ letter because Man in the Moon **himself** asked me to the moment I wake up-” he pointed a finger accusingly at the large rabbit Guardian, “-and the **first** thing you do is to attack me, break my wing and then pretend I deserved it **and** that I owe you for feeding me!?”

“Look, ya-!”

**_‘Aster.’_ **

Bunnymund froze, immediately turning towards Lady Wind. Most of the other spirits usually called him that, but being one of the more formal spirits, Lady Wind reserved that part of his name unless she was serious, pissed, or being protective. 

Judging by her expression, it was all three.

 _‘I thought I explained it all to you quite clearly.’_ She said, resting her hands on her lap with a firm posture as she looked at him. _‘Jesfred was just doing as he was instructed, and his intentions never lied in disturbing your Warren. It was an accident.’_

Bunnymund stared at Lady Wind for several seconds, before slumping a little with a huff. He couldn’t help but grumble _“damn mum friends”_ as he turned to look away, but he regretted it instantly. Pain shot through his ear as Lady Wind tugged at it, hard. 

“ ** _YOWCH!_ ** ‘Ey, leggo of me-!!”

 _‘Not until you watch that_ **_language_** _, mister!’_

“Of all the things I _can_ say, ya choose ta tell me ta put a sock innit fer the tamest swear?!” 

She tugged harder. 

” _Yeow!!_ Alright, fine! Fine!!”

Jesfred stared at them with wide eyes, but couldn’t really find it in himself to react other than blink a couple of times. It didn’t cross his mind that Lady Wind would have an attitude- she’d been so caring and polite with him so far!

He made a mental note to himself: Never, under any circumstances, provoke her.

Mercifully, Lady Wind let go of Bunnymund’s ear as soon as he agreed to her terms. Bunnymund rubbed his sore ear but was still giving her a slightly dirty look for doing so. 

She clapped her hands a little, ignoring his dirty look, smiling once again. _‘Now that’s settled…’_ She glanced at Jesfred, her smile becoming softer. _‘I believe you owe him an apology, or an explanation at least, Bunnymund.’_

Bunnymund looked at Jesfred, something in his expression tense and, dare he say it, uncomfortable. 

“...” He pulled his gaze away from Jesfred again, looking at anything but him. Was the rabbit having trouble about what to say?

Seeming to catch onto his plight, Lady Wind took a step back. _‘I believe it will be easier for you two to talk without me meddling.’_

“Huh??” Jesfred looked up at her in shock. Leave them alone? The messenger didn’t like the sound of that. “But-”

She offered a smile, _‘It’s alright, I’ll be nearby.’_ But then, she crossed her arms. _‘But what I hope for is that the two of you come on better terms… after all, this won’t be the last time you’ll meet, and I think it’d be much more beneficial for you in the long run, dearies.’_

Jesfred and Bunnymund exchanged glances. Even with his newfound knowledge of Lady Wind protecting him when needed, Jesfred still felt rather… intimidated by Bunnymund. Not only was he tall and imposing, but it was clear the Guardian knew how to fight and didn’t hesitate to hold back towards anything he deemed a threat.

He just couldn’t see it possible to come to terms with that guy. 

However, as Lady Wind left them, Bunnymund let out a sigh and sat down across from Jesfred. He crossed his legs and cracked a few joints in his neck before facing him. “Ey, uh… ‘bout yer wing there, I… didn’t mean ta go tha’ far. I just wanted ta give ya a scare.”

 _‘Consider your methods effective,’_ Jesfred thought, suppressing a shiver from running up his spine, but deciding not to say anything. 

“Since yer new, ya dunno what happened last Easter, but tha’ dun mean it was right o’me ta…” Bunnymund seemed to scowl at something in particular. 

Jesfred blinked, suddenly recalling something. “Wait, I think… Man in the Moon mentioned something that happened last year when he… woke me up.” He frowned a little, thinking what he’s been told- it had to do with nightmares, right?

Bunnymund looked back up at Jesfred. “Did he? In detail or… spare ‘em? ‘Cause he ain’t one fer storytellin’ and summaries, as ya prolly know. Didn’t even bother ta give me a heads up ‘bout ya.”

The messenger just smiled awkwardly in response, but that was definitely all the other needed to understand. Jesfred felt a little of the tension in his shoulders lessen when Bunnymund let out a huff, a playful smile coming to his muzzle as he shook his head.

“Oi, old man… Gotta stop doin’ tha’ ta ya newbies,” He muttered with a glance up at where the sky was, beyond the foliage of his Warren, before looking back at Jesfred. “Basically what happened was a shady bloke named Pitch Black started ta make the kids not believe in us Guardians. We lost our powers and nearly lose tha’ fight as well, with the world at risk of bein’ consumed by ‘em nightmares ta top it off.” 

Jesfred stared at Bunnymund, stunned. He was told that it was a close fight because of the lack of communication, but he didn’t think the fall of the Guardians was **that** close! 

“That’s… wow,” He mumbled, glancing around nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean- I had the feeling? That whatever went down was bad, just, not to that extent.”

“Be grateful ya didn’t get ta see it, mate. It was real nasty fer some of us.” Bunnymund crossed his arms over his chest. “N’ fact, if it weren’t fer Jack, we prolly wouldn’t be ‘ere.”

The winged messenger looked back up at Bunnymund at the mention of that name. “Jack… Frost? The Guardian of Fun?” He blinked, remembering his meeting with the Winter sprite.

Bunnymund nodded. “Dunno if ya know, but he found out his past life while in the middle of helpin’ us on an’ off.” He let out a scoff. “Took ‘im long enough ta become a Guardian and get serious, the da-” He quickly glanced around, and seeing Lady Wind wasn’t anywhere nearby, he dared to whisper: “Damn dipstick.” 

Jesfred let a faint chuckle out at that before his gaze dropped down to look at the grass. He had nearly forgotten about wanting to figure out his past life as well.

…Well, right now he had a few priorities to take care of first. Like delivering the rest of the letters. Something told him he wouldn’t be able to until he came on terms with the other, however.

“So… just to get this straight,” He looked back up, bringing his hands up to gesticulate. “You attacked- sorry, _scared_ me, because you were still on edge after what happened?” 

“...” Bunnymund couldn’t really keep eye contact with Jesfred for more than a few seconds, making the messenger tense up a little as he awaited his response. Finally, he said: “...Lemme say it like this: Ever feel like ya become powerless but still try ta stay strong while bein’ smaller than from the knee down?”

“...Don’t think I’ve been awake enough to experience something as _oddly specific_ as that.” The messenger mumbled, folding his hands on his lap.

“...Imagine a rabbit tryin’ ta fight a horse-” He looked back up at Jesfred and noted his blank expression. “Ya…know what those are, right?”

“Yeahhh, no.” Jesfred smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, uh, I’ve been awake less than…a day?”

“A _day_? Oi, mate, yer goin’ into yer job blind as a bat!” Bunnymund couldn’t help but laugh ever so slightly, even when Jesfred let out a slight huff. “Trust me, when ya see ‘em, you’ll understand what I mean.”

The messenger lifted an eyebrow, unamused. ”The horses or the bats?”

“The horses, mate, the horses.” 

“Look, my only references are cars, houses, trees, statues, and bicycles!” Jesfred said while continuing from his fingers.

“Did one of those statues have a horse on ‘em?”

“...” Jesfred threw his arms up. “Maybe?? I don’t know what they look like-!”

“Oi! **Oi!** This ain’t the point!” Bunnymund waved his hands wildly so they could get back on track. 

The messenger shook his head. “Just- how tall is a horse? That’s the issue here!”

“...It varies on the species of the horse. But-”

“There’s more than one type of horse?!” Jesfred cried out in disbelief, hands flying to grasp at his hair as if the thought itself caused him to feel existential dread.

But hey, what else is new? 

Bunnymund rolled his eyes, unaware of his dilemma. “Duh, is there one bloody type of flower? Or tree?”

“...No?”

“EXACTLY, YA BLOCKHEAD!” 

Oh.

Now it was the Guardian’s turn to lift his arms, though he looked more exasperated than anything. “I- God! What have ya been doin’ instead of learnin’??”

Jesfred spared a glance at his wings, flashbacks replaying in his head about nearly tumbling to his death via freefalling at speeds nobody should experience unless they counted on a wind spirit to protect them. 

“...Roight,” The tall rabbit sighed, understanding through the messenger’s body language. “Guess I’m lucky I ain’t got wings ta worry ‘bout.”

“Oh, trust me, you _are_.” The messenger mumbled.

“Can’t say the same thing fer Toothiana. Anyways…” He cleared his throat and made eye contact with Jesfred, trying to look serious after all that. “Look, I just wanted ta say tha’ I don’t want tha’ ta happen again. Being powerless. When ya showed up… I thought I was at risk of losin’ everythin’, _again._ ”

Jesfred stared at Bunnymund, stunned. His silence gave Bunnymund the hint to keep speaking.

“But, I realized too late I’ve made a mistake. When yer feather hit me-” He lifted his chin, gesturing towards his wings. “I sensed yer energy, and just like that, I knew ya didn’t mean any harm. Yer panickin’ drove tha’ point home too.”

His feather did _what now_? 

The messenger looked back at his wing, bringing it close to inspect it, frowning questioningly at it as if he expected to get his answers that way.

“Can’t tell ya what it was, mate.” The Guardian shrugged slightly. “But it might be one of ya powers. Takes time ta figure ‘em out.”

Jesfred sighed at that. “Right now, I don’t have the time...” He reached for his bag and took out the last three letters he had yet to deliver. “I have to finish my task first.”

“Who ya got left?” The tall rabbit asked, sitting back on the grass as he eyed the envelopes as if trying to read what was written on them.

With a hum, Jesfred turned them to read what was written on the envelopes; despite the darkness surrounding them, the faintest glow that emanated from the letters was enough to allow his eyes to see what he needed.

“I have yet to deliver… Sanderson Mansnoozie, Toothiana, and Nicholas St. North’s letters.” He said out loud, before putting the letters back inside his bag.

Bunnymund hummed. “Tooth and North ain’t hard ta find, but…ye might wanna leave ‘em for tomorrow.”

Jesfred looked up, a little alarmed at the sudden suggestion. “What? How come?”

The Guardian merely signaled his wing. “Yer wing there is still healin’ ‘cause of me. Ya can’t just head out there and fly over the globe unless ya want ta make it worse. My magic patched it just fine, but I’d give it more time.”

The messenger groaned, a little disappointed. He knew the other was right, but leaving the delivery for tomorrow? He was starting to learn he didn’t enjoy the way his plans kept getting shifted.

“If it makes ya feel better, ya can spend the night ‘ere.” Bunnymund offered. “I wanna make it up fer ya. The Warren’s safe, and much less noisy than Tooth’s and North’s places. Yer wing will be as good as new in the mornin’.”

Jesfred mulled over it- sure, he didn’t know how to get to the rest of the Guardians, nor know what their places were like… But taking longer to finish his task still bothered him. However, if the Guardian was telling the truth, then it was the best option he had at the moment.

Well, he doubted the other would lie to him with Lady Wind around, anyway.

“...Not much of a choice to make, is there?” The winged messenger sighed, and finally, relaxed.

It was then that his wings turned back into his cape. It startled him a little, and Bunnymund seemed just as surprised.

“...Huh,” The rabbit mumbled. “And I was just wonderin’ how ya’d sleep with ‘em.”

Jesfred smiled a little. “Lucky me, I guess...”

They heard the sound of wind rustling through the grass blades, and Lady Wind showed up just a moment later, smiling softly. _‘I take it that you boys could talk it through?’_

“Yeah, yeah...” Bunnymund huffed, but his smile was clear. “Offered ‘im ta stay the night an’ all. Ya can as well if ya want, Lady Wind.”

 _‘Oh, that’s very kind of you, Bunnymund, thank you.’_ She said, moving to sit next to them. 

Once she took a spot, Jesfred piped up. “Hey, Lady Wind? What’s a horse?”

“Are ya serious?” The Guardian asked in a deadpan tone.

 _‘Don’t be like that.’_ She said towards Bunnymund with a soft giggle. _‘It’s natural that he wants to learn about the world around him. Besides, I can’t think of anyone more suited to explain him about nature than the Guardian of Hope, himself!’_

“Oi, tha’s not-”

“Your center’s Hope? How does that work?”

“...I guess I can spare ya a few details…”

* * *

For a good portion of the night, the three chatted amongst themselves- or rather, Lady Wind and E. Aster Bunnymund did. Jesfred, meanwhile, attentively listened to their words, stories, and descriptions of whatever came up as he ate.

The messenger found himself enjoying it all, more than he initially thought; listening to Bunnymund speak so fondly of his Easter, the time where the Earth is reborn anew, brought him a sense of comfort. He found himself a little eager to see it with his own eyes when the day came.

And after tasting one of the ‘Easter Eggs’ the rabbit offered them before heading to bed, the comforting feeling only grew stronger. 

As he drifted off to sleep, he became aware of the strange feeling that came with it; the grasp of the world slipping away from him as the sounds grew softer and more muffled. As his vision filled with black, he felt at peace.

Slowly, his tired mind drifted off... 

* * *

He woke up, falling from the night sky. Yet, he felt no fear.

Jesfred simply let himself watch his surroundings as he fell. Darkness everywhere, but there was also light and so much of it, turning the black shadows into reflections of bright sapphire and indigo. The colors gradually twirling into galaxies that he felt were unknown to any living being but him, all while feeling the cold air brushing past his feathers and the warmth radiating from his chest.

He watched as the stars rushed past him like small white embers that illuminated his wings before disappearing into the darkness of the night to join the rest above. Then the inky black became a navy blue, to then became a beautiful turquoise sky...but the white stars, rushing past him, were now made of gold.

How come…?

Jesfred spread his wings, catching some of those golden lights between his feathers as he turned his fall into a slow stop. He curiously inspected his feathers- he didn’t catch stars in them, but rather...a mysterious, yet alluring dust that seemed to be made out of gold.

He looked down to find an entire island that was shining as bright as the sun. And he just knew he had to get there.

Slowly making his way down, Jesfred was quick to notice the island was…shifting. Instead of long, still swirly tendrils, the land was expanding and growing the closer he got. Houses, of all sizes yet similar in shapes, emerged from the ground to form a small town, complete with streets, and people. All made with that same beautiful dust.

This place… It felt so familiar. The shapes of the buildings, the way they were lined up. The streets, the town square, the port, and... the little shack he could see just off by the hillside. It felt so...comforting.

_But why?_

Once his feet touched the shifting ground and his wings turned back into his cape, Jesfred began to walk around; a path that he felt like he had walked before. As he did so, he could hear the faith sound of…was that singing? It was like a chorus- young voices, coming from inside one of the buildings.

He couldn’t tell what they were saying…but, they sounded happy.

Jesfred kept looking around, noticing the people of this mysterious place: they were all so different, but they all seemed to be smiling, and there were so many…small humans.

Children? Something told him those small figures, running around and giggling, were the children the Guardians kept referring to.

He looked up at the buildings again. Taller humans, similar to the locals he saw in that town in Sweden… The adults. Were those...their parents? The way the adults watched the children run around from their balconies, laughing and enjoying each other’s company with fond smiles… That oddly felt familiar to him as well. 

He wanted to know what that feeling was until something hit him and exploded in a golden cloud of dust. He spun quickly, noticing his shoulder was covered in said dust... or rather, sand.

A small round figure, silent as the sand under him, moved towards Jesfred and gave him a wave with a warm smile. There was a ball of sand in their hand.

Did they throw that at him? For what reason?

As if reading his thoughts, the figure giggled and threw the ball in their hand towards a different target, another small figure. They soon began throwing balls of sand at each other, giggling and running off to play.

Jesfred blinked, the sights just kept making him feel like he’s seen all this before…

He then glanced at the sand below him, and after a little bit of thought, scooped some into his hands and let it slowly fall back to the ground. It covered his hands with specks of gold, and he smiled as he shook his hands clean.

Yeah, he could see why it was fun to play with this stuff. And the way that the gold speckles shimmered and shined... it felt oddly similar to something else. He wasn’t sure what, but he had a feeling that this gold sand wasn’t the only thing that dazzled in the sunlight.

Speaking of sunlight…

Jesfred looked up and noticed a weird sight- despite how bright it was on the island, it wasn’t because of the sun, because there wasn’t one to begin with. The sky was dark and decorated with multiple stars, like the ones he saw during his flight.

Apparently, the light came from the sand itself.

And the sand…it seemed to come from a cloud. 

Jesfred watched, intrigued, at the cloud in question- it had a couple of swirly columns slowly descending from it, carrying sand to the land below it, making it shimmer like glitter as it went down... 

Something about it made the messenger a little daring, and he realized he wanted to check out the cloud up close.

His wings reappeared, and with a smile, he took off.

It wasn’t so far off, but Jesfred found himself fascinated with the sight- it seemed he was right about the sand being dropped from the cloud to shape the land below, as he could now see a large dune on it. 

But that wasn’t all there was. Jesfred saw even more streams coming off that cloud, stretching beyond the horizon to carry that golden sand to places he had yet to see.

He flew right through one of these streams of sand, coating his wings with it, and laughed softly as he saw the way they sparkled, before diving in again. He was having such a blast, he didn’t realize that he wasn’t alone in there.

Right on top of the cloud, a small round figure, as gold as the sand itself, was busy at work. He was commanding the gold dust to move towards all directions, carrying dreams for children to enjoy through their sleep.

This being, however, became aware of his visitor quite quickly. After all, they felt them the moment they arrived at their island.

And only those like them could do such a task.

So, with a small smile, he conjured a pigeon made of sand and asked it to fly towards the new arrival, and it obediently followed the order. The pigeon skillfully flew, around and through the streams of sand, until they reached their goal.

Jesfred heard the flapping approaching him and turned to see, and was a little surprised to find such a small creature- this one was not human, yet it had wings similar to his own.

It flew around him, cooing, and just overall trying to get him to follow it. Curious, Jesfred let it guide him, and together they made their way towards the cloud.

The pigeon was first to arrive and took a seat on the man’s shoulder, who smiled at it and gently pet it’s head as Jesfred landed carefully on the cloud. He seemed a little unsure, mostly due to his fear of it not being as solid as it seemed, yet it quickly vanished when he realized he could stand on it just fine.

And when he looked up, he noticed the other being. It looked like they were also made of sand, save for their face… What were they?

“Ah, hello...?” The messenger greeted with a slight wave of his hand. 

The golden being responded similarly, but more eagerly. Feeling at ease with their friendliness, Jesfred gestured around them. “Did you make all this?” He asked, and watched the golden man nod with a smile. “Really? That's amazing! I’ve never seen anything like this!”

The golden being smiled proudly while puffing out his chest, a golden star forming on top of their head- maybe they couldn’t talk?

“Oh, uh...” Jesfred glanced at his own wings, then back at the shorter figure with a sheepish expression. “I, uh, kinda got off the rails and played around a bit… Sorry, I hope it didn’t mess your work too much.”

This time, they shook their head with a calm expression. The golden man then smiled and, using their dust, wrote something above their head: ‘Sanderson Mansnoozie’.

Jesfred’s eyes widened- he heard that name before! One of his letters had it!

“Oh! Are you Mr. Mansnoozie?” He asked in a surprised tone, while the other nodded, before changing the words to simply: “Sandman / Sandy.”

Jesfred smiled and lightly tipped his hat at him. “Nice to meet you, Sandman! My name’s Jesfred Duevit, your messenger from today onwards.“

Sandman smiled, but there was a curiosity in his eyes. He conjured a moon with a question mark next to it and shrugged.

“I take it that Man in the Moon didn’t tell you about me?” The messenger said with a sheepish expression, which was returned. He sighed, “Yeah, I expected it by now, you’re the third to bring it up. I’m just glad you didn’t throw a boomerang at me, sir.”

Sandy laughed in clear gesture, but the only sound that came out of him was similar to that of the sand itself sliding through the streams, like twinkling stars.

Smiling, Jesfred reached into his bag and took out the letter that glowed like the land itself. “I have a delivery for you, from Man in the Moon himself.”

Sandman seemed quite excited about receiving his letter and smiled up at Jesfred once he held it in his smaller hands. The golden being seemed to want to express something, but something past Jesfred's shoulder called his attention.

The messenger turned around, noticing the sun was coming up. He then saw how the sunlight bounced off the grains of sand below them, making everything shine with sparkles that could rival the stars. “Oh, wow...” He said, feeling a little breathless over the sight.

Sandy, smiling softly, floated next to Jesfred and waved his hand at him.

Jesfred seemed a little lost. “Uh…goodbye?” He asked for confirmation, and Sandman nodded, before producing more sand in his palm and blowing it gently at Jesfred’s face.

* * *

Waking up in the Warren was a little disorienting. The way the birds sang from their trees and the brightness of the beams of sunlight that made it past the foliage was like an assault to his senses.

Groaning softly as he stood up, Jesfred stretched and yawned, before rubbing his eyes with his hands. Until he flinched at the feeling of something slightly scratching at him.

Confused, he pulled his hands away, only for his eyes to widen and he noticed specks of gold on them. Recalling the dream, Jesfred looked for his bag, located it, and quickly opened it up to bring out his letters.

He had three last night. But now he only had two.

The missing letter was Sandman’s.

  
  


* * *

Hello everyone! We hope you enjoyed this brand new chapter!

I wanted to thank you all for the support you've showed us ever since this idea was out to the world, and because 'tis the season of giving, we have a special surprise for you!

We plan to publish **another** chapter this month, along with an extra one-shot~! What will they be about? It's a surprise~ 

Now, today's feature! This time we have **fivedragonsstudiosart**! This mad lad has made a lot of fanart for this AU and many others from Tumblr, and each drawing is better than the last!! I genuinely appreciate each of their pieces wanted to share them here for a while now! <3

And that would be all for now! Until next time!

Don't forget to wash your hands, stay at home, let us know what you think in the comments and drop your Kudos~!


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